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Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

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Baronet Seely of Brooke in the Isle of Wight

Baronet Seely of Brooke in the Isle of Wight is in Baronetcies of England Alphabetically.

The London Gazette 26713. Whitehall, February 18, 1896. The Queen has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, granting the dignity of a Baronet of the said United Kingdom unto Charles Seely [aged 62], of Sherwood; Lodge, in the parish of Arnold, in the county of Nottingham, and of Brooke House, in the parish; of Brooke, in the Isle of Wight, Esquire, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.

On 16th April 1915 Charles Seely 1st Baronet [aged 81] died. His son Charles [aged 55] succeeded 2nd Baronet Seely of Brooke in the Isle of Wight.

On 26th February 1926 Charles Hilton Seely 2nd Baronet [aged 66] died. His son Hugh [aged 27] succeeded 3rd Baronet Seely of Brooke in the Isle of Wight.

On 1st April 1970 Hugh Michael Seely 1st Baron Sherwood [aged 71] died. Baron Sherwood of Calverton in Nottinghamshire extinct. His brother Victor [aged 69] succeeded 4th Baronet Seely of Brooke in the Isle of Wight.

On 10th May 1980 Victor Basil John Seely 4th Baronet [aged 79] died. His son Nigel [aged 56] succeeded 5th Baronet Seely of Brooke in the Isle of Wight.

On 25th April 2019 Nigel Edward Seely 5th Baronet [aged 95] died. His nephew William [aged 35] succeeded 6th Baronet Seely of Brooke in the Isle of Wight.